Jesus prayed God’s Word
Here is one stunning example from Mark 15:34: “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’” This lament is a direct quote from Psalm 22:1 and means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus in this instance is making the written revelation of God the verbal revelation of his prayer. This is a biblically shaped prayer life.
Bible study go together like two oars in a boat. In prayer we speak to God, and in Scripture God speaks to us.
Pray before you start reading. Pray as you’re reading, thanking God for his Word and asking God to illuminate its meaning more brightly to you. Pray when you’re done reading, and ask God to help you apply what you’ve read to your daily life.
Read and pray, read and pray, read and pray. Come in prayer to Scripture. When you read something convicting, stop and pray in repentance. When something impresses you, stop and praise God. When something reminds you of someone else, stop and pray for them.
The goal is not to just read through Scripture quickly to “get it over with,” but to make reading Scripture an act of worship, an act of prayer. You may not get through passages quickly, but those passages will stick with you. And you’ll enjoy your time in study more, because it will be shaping you in ways you can’t imagine.
And if your prayer life is guided by Scripture, then you’ll also know you will be praying in God’s will.
Is your life and prayer life guided by Scripture? Are you a regular Bible reader? If not, today is good day to find a Bible reading plan on the YouVersion app. As you read the Bible each day, stop to pray about what you read (e.g. for clear understanding, forgiveness, thanksgiving, other people, a practical need, etc.).
To order “Pray Like Jesus”, click HERE and for a free e-book study guide, click HERE.